Surgeon General Connects with Teens

Article excerpt

Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was making her third appearance
at Eastern High School, and she was preaching to the converted
about staying in school, going to college and excellence. Anyone
who has heard the glorious Eastern choir knows that excellence is
alive and well at Eastern and that pride is present.

For inspiration, she is all you could ask. She grew up chopping
cotton - "no one could be poorer than I was" - but black and
proud she persevered, in the military and in medical school until
"now I am your surgeon general."

The teens she was talking to at Eastern are immersed in
encouragement. Their principal is Ralph Neal, a tall, forceful man
who makes it clear that he "will tolerate no misbehavior." Every
day he and his staff fight the beasts that stalk city schools -
truancy, violence, failure, teen pregnancy.

They have their victories. They have an academy sponsored by
the Department of Health and Human Services that prepares students
for jobs in medicine. The school has been adopted by United
Airlines, spurred on by The Washington Post, which offers $500 in
college fees for students with A's and B's. Its world-class band
played in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

"We have everything we need here," says Jason Thomas, a
16-year-old junior who is in the academy studying to be a physical
therapist.

Neal, who took over 10 years ago, tells visitors that he has
high expectations of his charges and that 65 percent of Eastern
graduates go on to college. Attendance has dramatically improved,
and Eastern has won a national drug-free award.

Of Eastern's 1,000 girls, only 25 are pregnant. In view of the
staggering figures on non-marital teen-age births, this is an
achievement.

The only subject on which speaker and audience might have
disagreed about was the one Elders came to talk to them about, the
crisis in teen pregnancy. The rate for white pregnancies has
doubled in the current year. Overall, the number of teen
pregnancies out of wedlock is 67 percent. All talk of welfare
reform begins with these figures.

The principal at Eastern advocates abstinence, but the school
nurse gives out condoms. …